What a weekend! I did mention the camper show, didn’t I? We went and I’m still thinking about some of what we saw. It’s a dangerous place, because of course, we want (or perhaps I want) a new one. I’ve reached a stage in my life where I seem to know enough to look only at what is practical, not everything in sight. So, we limited our shopping to 28 to 34 foot motor homes with 2 or more slides. Shorter is OK for us, there are only two of us in it most of the time. We’ve discovered that class C campers probably won’t work now that we have owned a class A for a while. We need a desk, enough room for a weeks worth of clothing, a place to eat, sleep and wash ourselves. Papa needs to be able to see the TV from his chair. It would be nice if I could see it too. We have to be able to store a pretty big grill/stove for outside, a rug for under the awning, some lawn chairs and tables. We will probably need to cook inside, too, after Papa retires. The manufacturers have developed a nasty habit on including a convection oven instead of a regular oven in some models. I want a regular one, thanks. And by the way, “speed boost” and “twice as fast” and “half the time” and whatever else the code words are don’t fool me, I know a convection oven when I see one.

So, with that in mind, what a retired grandma and an almost retired Papa do not want in their next winter home on wheels: Convention oven. Two sofas. Get real, sleep on the bed. A booth dinette. Got Chairs? Make a table and chairs standard. An Analog TV. It doesn’t have to be HD, but quit trying to pedal the analog models in $80,000 campers. And don’t mount the **** thing above the driver’s seat. If the captain’s chairs in which you sit to drive (and ride) are comfortable and swivel around, WHY ON EARTH would you put the TV where you can’t see it from those chairs? Two doors into the bathroom. Forget the second door and add a towel rack, or even a hook for my bathrobe. Why is the bathroom sink too small to wash your hands in? There’s more, but I’ll stuff a sock in it.

On to Saturday night. We had a dinner with friends and then descended upon the Huron Valley Eagles to see the Mike Adams Band. OK, I’m prejudiced, so what are you going to do about it? There was another group there with even more affinity for Mike’s band and their great performance. One of the party, most of whom seemed to be Mike’s cousins, was pretty vocal about some selections played from the stage. He would roar, “I like it, I like it a lot!!!,” from his seat after certain numbers. Occasionally, someone in that vicinity would run in front of the stage and give a big thumbs up!

OK, so we stayed way too late, and we got in bed late, and we were tired in the morning. D2, S-in-L and their three beautiful children arrived while we were out, and we asleep when we got home. We crashed. Morning came way too early. The line at our one bathroom door was long. There was an ice storm, then rain. We had a wonderful day, we LIKED IT A LOT. Sorry to yell, but I do love having my family around. D1 made a nice dinner in honor of GS1. Papa grilled steaks. Step-dad was here, but a couple of people were missing. GS2 had already made his way up north for a mid-winter visit, and GS1’s fiance had other obligations, so we missed her.

But, as if it was supposed to be, D3 couldn’t have driven to work when she should have, and then the person who rescued her by opening the store offered to work the entire day. So, she was able to be here. D3 will work next Sunday for him.

GS1 brought cute T-shirts for his cousins, a cool hat for Papa, a book on the history of the US military base on Cuba for me, and other fun stuff. His next stop is about six months here for some training. Did I say we’re very proud of him? Only 50 times? One thing about GS1, he is taller. He thinks he’s 6′ or 6’1″. But he looked taller to me, so I measured. He wouldn’t fit under the arch in the spot I use to measure grandchildren, although he once did. So I used the living room wall. He is 6’3″, so he grew a little. Papa grew while he was in Korea when he was nearer GS1’s age, too.

The most fun Sunday was probably when we discovered that the lake at the edge of the drive was backing up into the garage. Always up for a challenge, D2, D3, and Papa joined me on the drive. We scrapped up a bunch of ice. D3 was bailing the water onto the snowbank with the grain scoop. Papa finally got on some firm footing and used the snow blower to make a big opening in the bank next to the lake on the low side of the drive. A river formed, and most of the water ran off toward my garden spot, ready to cause problems later. One thing about my family, they’re always up for a challenge.

So now it’s Monday, and it’s snowing. You know everything I know right now, you’re up-to-date, and I LIKE IT.